Second Half Spurt Lifts Builders Over Rhema Bible For Great Ships USS Nimitz Championship

BOX SCORE

NEWPORT NEWS, VA. -- A 20-5 second half run lifts the Apprentice School to an 85-74 victory over Rhema Bible College for the championship of the USS Nimitz Division in the Great Ships Postseason Tournament Saturday night.

Rhema opened the game taking a 9-4 lead on a Gabe White 3-pointer at the 17:07 mark.  Apprentice School tied the score 57 seconds later as a Jason Arrington 3-pointer knotted the game at 11-all.  The visitors quickly regained the lead on a Robert Sanders jumper 14 seconds later and held it until an Adrian Brewer 3-point play with 8:47 remaining put the Builders ahead 24-23. 

Apprentice School pushed the lead to 35-27 on a pair of Arbry Butler free throws with 2:01 left, but the visitors from Broken Arrow, Oklahoma closed the half on an 8-2 spurt cutting the deficit to 37-35 on a Sanders 3-pointer with 36 seconds left in the half.

In the second half, the Builders used a 20-5 run over a nearly five minute span to take a 63-43 lead on a Fred Spratley layup with 12:20 left.  Apprentice School saw the guests cut the lead down to nine points on three occasions, the last being on a pair of Seth Pringle free throws with 61 seconds left for an 80-71 lead.  Ruffin and Spratley combined to hit five free throws in the last 57 seconds to ice the win.

Ruffin was the leading scorer for Apprentice School with 22 points, 12 rebounds and eight assists.  Eric Joe chipped in a double-double of 20 points and 13 rebounds, while Arrington had 15 points, seven rebounds and five steals and Spratley added 12 points.  Butler set the school single season blocked shots record swatting three on the night for a season total of 55. The Builders hit 50% from the floor (32-of-64), while the Eagles were 27-of-72 (37.5%). 

Apprentice School closes out its season on Sunday morning with an 11 am tipoff against Robert Morris-Springfield.